Northamptonshire Steelbacks will be hoping to continue their red-hot form as Worcestershire Rapids come to the cinch County Ground tomorrow in the final Blast game before the return of the County Champiobship.
The Steelbacks have been relentless so far in the competition, winning all five of their opening games.
The side have found different ways to win in the games so far, with the most recent game against Durham one of the best results so far.
After posting 145/9 batting first, the Steelbacks produced a masterful display with the ball, restricting Durham to 138/8 to secure a seven-run win.
James Sales continued his fine form with the ball and returned figures of 2/10 from two overs, while Ben Sanderson, who picked up the Sky Sports Man of the Match award, finished with 2/26 from four over
The Rapids currently sit 4th in the Central & West group, having won three and lost two. The Steelbacks beat the side by 100 runs at New Road earlier in the tournament, but the side have since picked up impressive wins against Glamorgan and Warwickshire. Former Steelbacks Tom Taylor and Sikandar Raza are set to return to the cinch County Ground in what should be another thrilling game of T20 cricket.
Concessions:
Tempeo Foundation FanZone: Rocky Gelato, Go Greek & Jude’s Burgers
Standing area: Mem Saab, Nuts For Your Coffee & Hey Spud
Water is available at all external bars at the ground for £1.
The Tempeo Foundation FanZone will be open, with plenty of things to do for our younger fans. We’ll have a bouncy castle, a speed tunnel, face painting and plenty of food and drink options. The FanZone is located behind the Briggs & Forrester stand.
Play is set to start at 6:30pm tomorrow, with gates opening at 4:30pm. Tickets can be bought in advance online or on the gate.
From 4:30pm-5:30pm, you can enjoy our Carlsberg Happy Hour, with Carlsberg available for just £3.50 a pint.
Squad news:
Lewis McManus will miss the game after suffering a broken toe. The wicketkeeper played through the toe injury in the win against Durham, but will sit out of this game to prevent further injury. Ricardo Vasconcelos is expected to take the gloves in his absence. Gus Miller is added into the 14-man squad, while Louis Kimber remains sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Steelbacks Men’s squad to face Worcestershire:
David Willey (c), George Bartlett, Justin Broad, Calvin Harrison, Chris Lynn, Nathan McSweeney, Gus Miller, Luke Procter, James Sales, Ben Sanderson, George Scrimshaw, Ricardo Vasconcelos, Raphy Weatherall, Saif Zaib
We spoke to Darren Lehmann to recap the Durham game, fielding standards and overcoming different situations in games.
Opponent preview:
Worcestershire
Previewed by Brian Halford, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: Brett D’Oliveira
Overseas players: Sikandar Raza (Pakistan, all). Usama Mir (Pakistan, all)
Finals Day appearances: Two (2018, 2019)
Titles: One (2018)
2025 finish: 5th in North Group
2025 leading run-scorer: Ethan Brookes (380)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Ben Dwarshuis (18)
Key winter moves: With last season’s leading wicket-taker, Aussie seamer Ben Dwarshuis, unavailable this summer, the Pears have invested heavily in spin with the signings of Pakistan pair Sikandar Raza and Usama Mir.
The big question: Can the Rapids transfer their inspiring 50-over form of 2025 into the shorter format? They have players capable of turning matches but a consistent lack of consistency has meant they have progressed beyond the group stage in only one of the last six seasons.
Wildcard watch: Dan Lategan – the 19-year-old batter arrived at New Road too late for the Blast last season but made an eye-catching start in both red-ball and 50-over formats. After two months tasting the different pressures of red-ball cricket, the fluent strokemaker could be ready to free up and fly in the Blast.
Final thought: The Rapids’ Blast history began back on 13 June 2003 with an absolute thriller – a one-wicket win over Northamptonshire achieved with one ball to spare thanks to Stephen Moore’s audacious unbeaten 39 from 27 balls. It is time for the Rapids, having shown what they can do in bursts in recent seasons, to combine efficiency with the thrilling cameos and string some wins together to reach their third Finals Day.